A mother from Pembroke Pines, Florida, is facing child abuse charges after police say she beat and punched her 12-year-old son over bad grades, leaving him with a visible black eye.
According to police, Sarah Dennis' 12-year-old son brought home three "F's" on his report card roughly two weeks ago.
The boy told police his mother made him strip down to his underwear, then proceeded to beat him with a belt on his back and buttocks. He said he fell to the floor because of the pain, according to police.
Dennis, 25, continued to beat the boy with a belt, then punched him several times in the left eye with a closed fist, police say.
The boy told police that he and his mother were the only ones in the room at the house, located in the 1200 block of Southwest 101st Terrace in Pembroke Pines.
Police said the boy was forced to speak with his school guidance counselor after he was reported for having a visible black eye from the incident.
The boy's 11-year-old brother was also in the home and reportedly also brought home bad grades. The younger brother told police he was sent to his room where he was beaten with a belt across his buttocks but nothing more than that.
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Dennis denied ever punching her son, and said she believed that her son's black eye was the result of a school fist fight. She did not report the black eye to her son's school or ask the school how it had happened, police said.
Dennis was arrested and charged with child abuse. Records did not indicate whether Dennis had hired an attorney.
She made appearances in two courtrooms on Wednesday; once in bond court and another in front of a juvenile judge. She found out the only way she can see her three kids is during a supervised visit.
"There would be a therapist present in the room to help facilitate the discussions and the visitation, and would make sure that all interactions between you and the kids are appropriate," said Judge Stacey Schulman.
The judge told Dennis it could be a while before she gains custody of her kids again.
